Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek is an odd case when it comes to RPG Maker games, because it is exclusively intended for two players. Playing it alone is pretty much pointless. Luckily, I was able to get a sibling to help me give this game a real play through.

As you might guess from the title, it involves hiding and seeking. One player hides somewhere on the map and the other player must seek them out. There are three different fields to play on with different sizes and themes. Each map is littered with thematically appropriate objects for the hider to hide behind. Tile passability can seem a bit strange, but it’s ultimately for the best since it allows for so many hiding options. In each play, the game is over either when the seeker catches the hider or the hider reaches the angel near the beginning of the level.

Now, you might be wondering how exactly two people can play the same RPG Maker game at once. Well, the seeker controls the regular hero by the usual methods (arrow keys and enter). The hider, however, gets their own set of controls that are, shall we say, unfortunately placed. They use the number keys (not the number pad, mind you) to control the movement of an NPC on screen. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are their directional movement, 1 is used in place of enter (to activate the angel for victory), and 6 calls out a taunt. This setup generally works, but there are two problems with it. One is that of the movement controls; 3, 4, and 5 are left, down, and right, respectively, which makes using them to move around fairly simple. But 2 is up. This can make navigating a pain for the hider, since getting used to the controls with one hand can be tough (I found it easier to use both hands). The other problem is that RM’s window still only follows the main hero around. So, when the hider is choosing a hiding spot, they must move the seeker around with them to see what they’re doing, pick a spot, then move the seeker back to start. This is somewhat tedious, considering the length of the game vs. the time it takes to set up. Also, there’s not very much the hider can do while they’re being sought. They can press the taunt button (which does nothing aside from shouting a non-direction-specific taunt), but that’s about it. It’s only once their found that the fun starts.

In practice, the game actually works pretty well. The hider can move around off screen, but can’t see what they’re doing. Since the seeker must chase them down, they need only wait until the seeker is close enough to make their move. Then, it’s pretty much a race to the angel at the start. If the hider is too far ahead of the seeker, they run the risk of colliding with an object that impedes their escape. The maps are set up in such a way that neither player really has an advantage over the other. Since both players move the same speed, it almost becomes a battle of wits.

This game shows a lot of potential. If the hider’s controls were located more appropriately and the initial setup phase weren’t such a chore, it could be a lot of fun…assuming you have someone to play it with. It could also afford to have a bit more variety in the maps available, but considering the likelihood of two people getting together to play it, it’s probably the perfect size as-is.

All things considered, I give it a 2.5/5.